Keywords

Contents

The global reserve of conventional fossil fuel is being depleted at an
fantastic rate. The societal demand for abundant petroleum-based
energy currencies drives the search for new sources of oil and natural
gas. In many of the World's basins, the exploration for hydrocarbons
has reached a mature stage. This is particularly true for shallower
deposits (< 5000 m) of Tertiary and Mesozoic ages. Now alternative
exploration strategies and even philosphies are required. The search
for deep gas is rapidly gaining interest as a new exploration
frontier. Deep-seated reservoirs have already been drilled
successfully, such as the 9 km Lone Star Earnest Baden No. 1, in the
Anadarko basin, U.S.A., or others in the Delaware, and Val Verde
basins (see Rice), but in many petroleum provinces, deeper targets are
only now becoming attractive. The first International Deep Gas
Workshop was held in Hannover, May, 1990. Under the co-sponsorship of
the German Federal Ministry for Research and Technology (BMFT) and the
International Energy Agency (IEA), close to 200 delegates worldwide
gathered to discuss the new frontier of deep gas. The definition of
deep gas is purposefully vague, but in most parts of northern Europe
this is understood to mean pre-Westphalian sources or accumulations.
Although there was considerably delay in the publication of this
volume, this collection of papers seeks to capture the spirit of the
Hannover meeting, and to provide a basis of future activity.